Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
250th out of 598 books
—
1,402 voters
Seraph on the Suwanee
This novel of turn-of-the-century white "Florida Crackers" marks a daring departure for the author famous for her complex accounts of black culture and heritage. Full of insights into the nature of love, attraction, faith, and loyalty, "Seraph on the Suwanee" is the compelling story of two people at once deeply in love and deeply at odds. The heroine, young Arvay Henson, i...more
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
January 16th 1991
by Harper Perennial
(first published January 1st 1974)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
792)
Apr 23, 2013
Francesca Forrest
marked it as stopped-reading
I was very curious about this because I see lots of cases of white writers writing black characters, and I thought I'd like to see how a black writer writes white characters--especially someone who's as astute an observer as ZNH. Buuut I had to give up. I even managed to get past a salutary rape [sic], but eventually, the heroine Arvay just depressed me too much. She's dim-witted and suspicious and jealous and timorous and ... ughh. Her husband was a much more interesting character, though he ha...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
(FROM JACKET)This novel of turn-of-the-century white "Florida Crackers" marks a daring departure for the author famous for her complex accounts of black culture and heritage. Full of insights into the nature of love, attraction, faith, and loyalty, "Seraph on the Suwanee" is the compellilng story of two people at once deeply at odds. The heroine, young Arvay Henson, is convinced she will never find true love and happines, and defends herself from unwanted suitors by throwing hysterical fits and...more
This is a re-read for me, I wanted to find the present day slang that is used in this 1940's book about the early 1900's. Its interesting to me the way sayings such as "fly" and "hitting a lick" have survived. The book itself is enjoyable, but I found Arvay to be SO frustrating in her insecurities, but, I could understand where she was coming from and how, a lot of times our ignorance will cause us to cut off our noses to spite our faces. I appreciated this exploration of communication, and how...more
A former professor of mine once said, while discussing DH Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover, that it's a book about female pleasure and female identity but not necessarily about female independence. The same can be said about Zora Neale Hurston's compelling but in many ways frustrating 1948 novel Seraph on the Suwanee. The character arc of the protagonist, poor white "Cracker" Arvay Henson, is in some ways an ultra-traditional one: she must learn to be the best wife possible to her husband, Jim...more
I had high hopes for this one--Zora, you're so great!--but I had a really hard time getting over how crappy the characters were. The novel is the story of two people, Arvay and Jim Meserve, and their life together as a married couple: children, struggles, miscommunication, etc. Which may not sound that interesting (it was the only ZNH book at Dunaway Books last time I went!), but the concept of the novel itself is not my issue.
First of all, Jim rapes Arvay at the beginning of their courtship. AN...more
First of all, Jim rapes Arvay at the beginning of their courtship. AN...more
I would now give this a 5 star ... now reading about the Great Migration and have a greater respect than ever for Ms. Hurston and her ability to be able to tell this story at all! When I first discovered this author I began to devour anything I could find she had written and find her writing poetic ... now my admiration for her bravery and writing skills are even greater than before. This book was a compelling read, a great story and one I would recommend to anyone interested in either social sc...more
This is the best fiction book by Zora Neale Hurston that I have read so far. I think I liked it best because everything was so familiar to me. Everything from the dedication to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (author of Cross Creek) and everywhere they lived or visited has been a part of my life growing up in Florida. The characters are deep and the journey of self discovery that the main female protagonist embarks on is riveting. Hurston successfully achieved her goal to write about the lives of the F...more
There was something missing from the book. I never felt as though I could relate to Arvey much. I found her insecurities to be very annoying and an obvious source of her worldview and hence behaviors / interactions with her husband Jim. I think it was this very aspect of the book that that was disappointing to me as soooo much of the story was spent wrapped in that 1 area. Just feel as though it should have expanded in other directions instead of having such a narrow focus. I can say however, th...more
Apr 22, 2013
Sam Schooler
added it
Zero stars. ZERO.
I read this for a class, and to be honest, I found it disturbing as all hell and pretty disgusting. Arvay has no independent personality whatsoever, and happily accepts her husband-to-be raping her, then telling her that he will rape her every day for the rest of her life. Arvay delights in subjugation, and in fact her final and triumphant personal discovery is that she is meant to serve men, and that she will always happily serve her (sexist, domineering rapist of a) husband.
I...more
I read this for a class, and to be honest, I found it disturbing as all hell and pretty disgusting. Arvay has no independent personality whatsoever, and happily accepts her husband-to-be raping her, then telling her that he will rape her every day for the rest of her life. Arvay delights in subjugation, and in fact her final and triumphant personal discovery is that she is meant to serve men, and that she will always happily serve her (sexist, domineering rapist of a) husband.
I...more
Like others of Zora's books, this book takes place in post civil war Florida. this fiction creates a structure to explore the nerve twitching symbiotic relationship between black and white residents as they struggle to make a living and move forward in what is a new world for both of them. best of all though, the characters are extremely complicated. Quick decisions of who is the "good" or "bad" guy will get unraveled, put back together, and unraveled again. I plan on rereading it again soon.
I'm sorry. I really wanted to like it, and I admit there were some very pretty lines, and at times I even found the plot interesting. The majority of the book, however, I found pretty distasteful; I suppose I am glad that I read it, but I could certainly have done without the overarching message that glorifies clinging dependence on other people (especially a somewhat abusive husband) for your feelings of self-worth. Plus, I just couldn't really bring myself to like, respect, or identify with Ar...more
The author, Zora Huston, IA noted black writer wrote primarily about the Florida blacks. This story tells the story of a "cracker" couple in Florida who loved each other, but did. Of understand each other at all. We read of their problems as their marriage struggles and flounders through many problems. At last after children are adults Arvay finally begins to truly understand her husband's love. An interesting story of the first half of the 20th century.
Truly enjoyed this novel, perhaps more than I liked Their Eyes Were Watching God. At first it seems there's no real conflict to the plot, but Hurston does a fantastic job of easing the reader into Arvay's world. They are characters that you come to care about. I understand why this doesn't have such a formidable place in the canon, but it's still a well told story. I thought she sold out a little with the ending, but I guess Arvay earned her happy ending.
Zora Neale Hurston is some kind of genius. This novel follows one woman's innermost feelings and insecurities as she goes from an awkward teenager to a wife and a mother. The description on goodreads says that this book is about a marriage "full of love but with very little communication," but seeing as that marriage starts with rape and kidnapping, I would say I think NOT. Actually, I think this book has a real feminist lens on the feelings of powerlessness and guilt that are imposed on women i...more
I loved this book. Yes, there are squirm-inducing moments of misogyny, but if you can get over that, it's one of the most compelling portraits of insecurity I've ever seen, and a wonderful, gorgeous love story to boot. I honestly couldn't put it down.
The more detailed blog review
The more detailed blog review
Feb 13, 2011
Lisa (OhThatLisa)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
female-authors
Not as absolutely transcendent as Their Eyes Were Watching God but still a lovely, satisfying, and insightful book. Zora Neale Hurston must have had extraordinary powers of introspection because she digs deep into the mind of Womankind, finds the painful, unspoken, ungraspable stuff that slithers around our heads throughout a lifetime, and holds it all proudly up to the sun. Just crazy perceptive.
This is Hurston's last published novel. It is also the novel that gets the least critical attention because it does not fit comfortably within the feminist or African American literary traditions. This is the most experimental of her novels. In her letters, we learn that Hurston was trying to say something about the state of marriage American society. The novel's heroine, Arvay Henson, is a challenge to readers. I think Hurston struggled to identify with her as well, which makes her occasional a...more
I love me some Zora, but I was a little disappointed with this book. Several key character embellishments were not followed up on. For example, before Arvay was married she was prone to "fits" (seizures?). After she married, there was no mention of them. I kept thinking I was going to find out why this occurred but I never did. Searching for the answers was distracting, and then never receiving them was disappointing. With better editing the book would've lived up to my expectations.
Once again, love this author. This book is a great story of a woman, her life, how she limited herself throughout it but opened up in the end and started living. Great read. Inspiring.
Nov 25, 2012
Tony Delgado
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
academic-bullshit,
library
There are a lot of interesting ideas and questions being articulated in this text. While I may not agree with the gender politics being presented here, the book is a fascinating and enjoyable read.
I swear, read it like you would another version of Taming of the Shrew and you might be fine. Clearly it's not exactly like Taming of the Shrew. Cultural parts made the womanist/feminist in my cringe.
Not quite as captivatingly beautiful as 'their Eyes Were Watching God', but this was still soulful and perceptive. It took awhile to fully feel gripped in, but my rapture with the novel mirrored the relationship between Jim and Arvay (as Zadie Smith has said this is the sign of a great author- one who forces you to submit to the world of the words.). A touching exploration of what makes and keeps a marriage.
A love story to make you cry. Hurstons story telling of a womans journey and self discovery is spellbinding.
One of my favorites. A poignant sometimes frustrating story of marriage, love, and communication.
This is the second novel that I read by Hurston. The first being the classic novel, There Eyes Were Watching God. I could not claim that she is one of my favorite authors and not have read all her books, so I made it a priority to read this book. While I was researching facts about this novel, I discovered that Hurston did not want to be confined with only writing about African Americans, so she wrote this novel with the main characters being Caucasian. I did enjoy this book, and I look forward...more
Great at the beginning but fades at the end
Mar 29, 2009
Sharon Jessee
added it
A really odd, ejoyably so, book.
i ended up really liking this book though it was an odd choice for me (my book club made me do it). Hurston's style is always great, but the premise "the love story of two Florida crackers from the 1910s"...was not immediately appealing.
But glad i powered through it, the characters really came off the page. I was surprised at how well Hurston was able to capture the nuances of the "cracker" population (i just don't get tired of using that word).
all in all, worth reading, though it was a slow st...more
But glad i powered through it, the characters really came off the page. I was surprised at how well Hurston was able to capture the nuances of the "cracker" population (i just don't get tired of using that word).
all in all, worth reading, though it was a slow st...more
May 29, 2008
For the life if me I can't figure out what it is that keeps drawing me back to this book. I was craving reading it so badly this month, so Bob bought it for me for Mother's day. I'm sure I'll be back to it again.
Oct 14, 2008
Finished second reading. Still as enjoyable second time around.
Oct 9, 2007
It's not as good as Their Eyes Were Watching God, but still a great read. I just finished it last week and am already part-way through a second reading.
For the life if me I can't figure out what it is that keeps drawing me back to this book. I was craving reading it so badly this month, so Bob bought it for me for Mother's day. I'm sure I'll be back to it again.
Oct 14, 2008
Finished second reading. Still as enjoyable second time around.
Oct 9, 2007
It's not as good as Their Eyes Were Watching God, but still a great read. I just finished it last week and am already part-way through a second reading.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Zora Neale Hurston was an American folklorist and author. In 1925, shortly before entering Barnard College, Hurston became one of the leaders of the literary renaissance happening in Harlem, producing the short-lived literary magazine Fire!! along with Langston Hughes and Wallace Thurman. This literary movement became the center of the Harlem Renaissance.
Hurston applied her Barnard ethnographic tr...more
More about Zora Neale Hurston...
Hurston applied her Barnard ethnographic tr...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“The sun had become a light yellow yolk and was walking with red legs across the sky.”
—
12 people liked it
“Her resolutions against Jim Meserve were just like the lightning-bugs holding a convention. They met at night and made scorning speeches against the sun and swore to do away with it and light up the world themselves. But the sun came up next morning and they all went under the leaves and owned up that the sun was boss-man in the world.”
—
4 people liked it
More quotes…
Jul 18, 2011 04:24pm